Commonwealth v. Stanley
Commonwealth v. Stanley
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The defendant was found guilty under an indictment containing three counts, the first of which was founded on the Act of July 14, 1897, P. L. 261, in which he was charged with “fraudulently, unlawfully, knowingly and willfully” voting at an election for public municipal officers in the election district of the first ward of the borough of Bridgeport, Montgomery county, he not then and there being a person qualified by law to vote. The second count was founded on the 125th section of the Act of July 2, 1839, P. L. 519, in which he was charged with “fraudulently, unlawfully, willfully and knowingly publishing, uttering and making use of a forged or false
While there are a number of assignments of error, the principal contention of the defendant on this appeal is, that there was not sufficient legal proof of guilt to warrant the verdict, and that the court erred in not directing a verdict of “ Not guilty.” After a careful examination of the whole record we are confident of the righteousness of the verdict, and that the disputed facts were fully and fairly submitted to the jury by the court, and they fully warranted the verdict of guilty as returned by the jury. In the light of this finding, the case stands • as a deliberate violation of the election laws of the commonwealth, meriting prompt and severe punishment.
While the third count in the indictment was presented jointly with the first and second, the evidence in relation to the use of the tax receipt was of such a doubtful and unsatisfactory character in showing that it had been obtained within less than thirty days prior to the date of holding said election, that it might weE have been withdrawn from the consideration of the jury; and in disposing of this case, it is not necessary to sustain that count in order to affirm the judgment, and had ' it been, withdrawn from the consideration of the jury, the result would doubtless have been the same, as the proof in relation to the first and second counts was so overwhelmingly against the defendant, that any other verdict than that of guilty on these two counts would have been against the fair weight of the evidence, and it is well settled that it is sufficient if there is one count in the indictment which will sustain the sentence: Commonwealth v. Prickett, 132 Pa. 371; Commonwealth v. Landis, 13 Pa. Superior Ct. 134; Commonwealth v. Bradley, 16 Pa. Superior Ct. 561.
The appellant must not only establish the existence of. an
The assignments of error are overruled and the judgment is affirmed.
Reference
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- Election law — Criminal law — Indictment—Unlawful voting — Wrongful use of tax receipt — Evidence. 1. Where a person is indicted, and the indictment contains three counts, the first founded on the Act of July 14,1897, P. L. 261, for voting when not qualified, the second on sec. 125 of the Act of July 2,1839, P. L. 519, for fraudulently using a false tax receipt, and a third on the Act of July 15, 1897, P. L. 276, for voting on a tax receipt obtained within less than thirty days prior to the election, and there is evidence to sustain the charges contained in the first two counts, a sentence upon a verdict of guilty will be upheld by the appellate court. It is sufficient if there is one count in the indictment which will sustain the sentence. Appeals — Errors—Evidence. 2. An appellant must not only establish the existence of an error in the proceedings below, but that the error of which he complains has tended to his injury, and as a general rule it is not sufficient to show that an important question either in form or substance has been put to the witness, but it must appear that an answer was received which tended to injure the case of the appellant.